Circular-knitting machine



' a,s14,5oo- A. E. BERDO` CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Y Nov. 4 1924-.

Filed Aug. v19. 192: 3 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTUM www fdm/ ATTORNEYS.

A. E. BERDON CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Novo 19240 Filed Aug. 19 l1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 "a ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 4 1924. 1 1,514,500

A. E. BERDON CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE Filed A9@ 194; 1921 s sheets-sheet INVENTOR ummm Hz@ @ai Ewcim Mmgwwwg ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

UNIT-ED STATES PATENT GFFICE.

.ALBERT E. BERDON, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 JAMES K. LANNING, OF FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

Application filed August 19, 1921. `Serial No. 493,640.

To all who/m. z'zf may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. BERDO, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Detroit, in the county yof Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented an Improvement in Circular-Knitting Machines, of which the Yfollowing description, .in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing 'like parts.

This inventionrelates to lcircular knitting machines, and, while it may be of general application, is, so far as certain features thereof are concerned, an improvement upon the disclosure in the lco-pending application of Charles G. Bauer, Serial No. 353,820, filed January 24, 1920. In order that the principle of the invention may readily be understood, I have disclosed a .single embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a single knitting head and the driving means therefor, constituting one embodiment or type ofmy invention; y

Fig. 2 is a view partly in :plan and partly in transverse section of the knitting head and driving means shown in Fig. 1 and with the parte in driving relation;

Fig. 3 isa view 4similar to Fig. 2, but with parts omitted land representing the knitting head and driving means as out of driving relation;

Fig. -4 is a vertical central-section upon the line 2l-t of Fig. 2 and looking toward the right in said figure;

Fig. 5 is a transverse horizontal section upon the line 5--5 of Fig. 4L;

Fig. `6 is a detail mainly in vertical sect-ion of a part of the structure shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a detail mainly in section upon the irregular line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

I have chosen to illustrate my invention 0 by selecting an embodiment thereof wherein a. driven part is rotated and the knitting head, or va series thereof if desired may be moved into and out of frictional driving relation with the said driven part. So far as certain features of my invention are concerned, either the driven part lor the knitting head or heads may be bodily moved toward and from the other part, and either the cam ring or the needle cylinder may be rotated. I-l'erein I have chosen to represent the cam ring or cylinder as rotated and the needle carrier or support as stationary.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I have in Fig. 1 represented an upright shaft 1 having fast thereon a pulley 2 driven by a belt or band '3 from any suitable source of power, such, for example, as an electric motor. Upon said shaft 1 is fast a disk-4 adapted to drive the wheel 5 of the take-up mechanism hereinafter referred to. Also fast upon said shaft 1 is a disk 6 preferably of relatively large diameter, so that .if desired a number `of knitting heads may be arranged in a circular series thereabout and driven thereby. yThe said shaft 1 is supported in a base 7 and at its upper end is received in a bearing 8 .of the member 'or casting 9 of the framing.

One or more standards 10 are provided preferably in a circular series about the driven shaft 1. The bed plate of the machine is indicated at 11 in the several iigures. kIt is desirably yof annular or ring like `form and has a series of semi-circular openings 12 wherein or whereover are mounted the series of knitting heads. As shown most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, each knitting head or the single knitting head, as the case may be, is carried by a lever 13 of flat or plate .like character and pivoted at 14 so as to be movable toward and from the driving disk 6. The said lever 13 is provided with a projection 15 shown most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3 and adapted to engage one or the other of the-notches 16, 17 in a lever 18, itself pivoted upon the supporting -bed 11 at 19, there being provided a. longitudinal slot 20 permitting lengthwise movement of .said lever. When the projection 15 is engaged with the notch' 16, the knitting head is held. in driving relation with respect to the driving disk 6, yb-ut when the projection 15 is disengaged from the notch 16 and is engaged with the notch .17 or occupies the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, the knitting head is out of driving relation with the driving head 6. Desirably a coiled spring 21 is connected at 22 to the lever 18 and at'23 to the ring or annulus 11 kso as normally to hold the knitting head in driving relation to the driving head 6.

There is or may be a tendency of the knitting head to adhere to the surface 'of the driving head 6 when it is intended to release the saine therefrom by swinging movement of the lever 18. 1' therefore provide means whereby when the lever 18 is moved to inoperative position, as by a suitable handle indicated in dotted lines at 2st in Fig. the knitting head is pushed or positively moved away from the driving head or disk 6. For this purpose, l have provided the lever 18 with a rod or projection 25 ext-endingA angularly with respect thereto and at the other side of the pivot 19 with respect to the projection 16, 17, so that when said lever 18 is moved in a contraclockwise direction viewingFigs. 2 and 3, the rod or projection strikes the side of the knitting head and compels its separation from the driving disk 6. It will be observed that the semicircular opening 12 is open at one'side to permit the described movement.

The knitting head is shown most clearly in detail' in Fig. 4t. As plainly appears therein, the plate like lever 13 is provided with a vertical opening 26 wherein is fixedly positioned but so as to permit removal when desired, a sleeve like bearing member 27, the upper portion 28 whereof is of increased diameter. Into the lower reduced diameter portion of said bearing member 27 is thread ed the needle carrier 29 which is represented as provided with needle tricks or grooves wherein the needles 31 are mounted for reciprocating movement in the knitting operation. Desirably the needle carrier is of relaiively small diameter and carries a compara.- ively small number of needles, such, for eX- ample, as 6 to about 36, twelve needle grooves being indicated in the disclosed cmtodiment of the invention. lhile the machine is adapted for various uses, it is advantageously used in the production of a continuous tube of small diameter at a high raie of speed. The needle head may be driven at such a high rate of speed as 600 to 1500 revolutions per minute and tothat end it must be supported against gyration or wobbling and must be lubricated or oiled so as to permit the attainment of such high sneed without overheating. To the accomplishment of t-hese ends, the following construction is desirably provided.

The cam ring 32 is positioned within the upper portionv 28 of the bearing member and has formed therewith or rigidly secured thereto the cam 33 which is provided with a ront-inuous groove 3st for the reception of the heels of the needles, said needles being of any suitable type either latch or spring needle, but desirably latch needles. Directly above the needle cam 33 is the lower porttion 35 of the thread guide, which latter at its upper end is provided with the guide eye :t through which the yarn or thread is introduced to the needles in a manner which need not be more fully described. Desir- :ihlr the lower portion of the thread guide .5 of relatively large diameter so as to provide a space 37 into which oil may be adrnitted through the opening 38. Within said lower portion of the thread guide is positioned a ring 39 which surrounds the upper portions of the needles and confines them to their groove. Surrounding the thread guide is a ring 40 secured to the thread guide by one or more screws Ll1, so that the cam ring, the cam and the thread guide all rotate in unison about the stationary needle carrier and within the bearing member 27 from which it is spaced annularly as indi cated at 42 in Fig. et. Rigid with the said cam ring and depending therefrom but eX- terior to the bearing member 27, 28 is the sleeve like portion e3 which receives axial bearing support from the enlarged portion 28 of the bearing member 27 as clearly indifcated in F ig. Li. At its lower end the said sleeve like portion i3 is provided with a horizontal flange 44, which bears upon the relatively stationary support or plate like lever 13 whereon it rotates and which constitutes a thrust bearing therefor.

ln order to drive the cam ring withits depending sleeve like member 46, any suitable construction may be provided. Herein for the purpose l have provided a series of leather or similar disks adapted to be secured to the flange /l-lf by a plurality of screws 46. The said disks t5 are brought into -frictional driving relation with the driving disk 6 by engagement of the projection 15 with the notch 16 as already described, whereupon the knitting head is driven at the desirably high speed already indicated.

lt is of importance that the rotating sur faces be lubricated. To this end l desirably provide the following mechanism, which in conjunction with the construction already set forth effects the lubrication of the necessary parts. The oil introduced through the opening 38 may fill the chamber 37 and lubricate the entire lengths of the needles excepting their extreme upper ends, the yarn thus being maintained free of the lubricant, The oil .works downwardly between the needle carrier and the cam 33 into the chamber or recess 47, at the lower end of the cam ring, lubricating the groove 34 on its way and then passing outward through one or more radial openings i8 from which it works its way downward to the lower face of the liange 43 so as to lubricate the same and the thrust bearing whereon it rotates.

Desirably l support a grease cup 49 upon the lever or support for the knitting head, the same being in communication with a channel 50 formed in said lever and extending inward and then upward to an annular groove 51. From this point the grease, and it may be some of the lubricating oil, work their way upward through an inclined groove 52 indicated in dot-ted lines in Fig. 6,

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and thence to the annular space 53 at the upper end of the bearing sleeve or member 2T, 26 wherefrom it issues through a series of perforations 55- into the closed container or receiving chamber 55 surrounding the sleeve e3. From. time to time as desired, the saidy container 55 may be removed, it being of annular form as indicated, and the contents disposed of as desired. The said container 55 is supported upon an annular ring 56 through which the screws t6 pass, as clearly indicated in Fig. e.

The lubricant working outwardly between 'the lower face of the flange il and the upper face of the lever 13 is wiped o1 into a tube 56 having a cut away upper corner wherethrough the lubricant enters said tube and from which tube it is discharged intoany suitable receptacle. The said tube 56 is stationarily supported in the lever arm 13 at a suitable point.

rlhe product issuing from the knitting head is indicated at 57 in Fig. 1. lt passes downwardly from the knitting head to and between the rolls 58, 59 of the fabric takeup, said rolls being geared together and driven from the wheel 5 upon the shaft 60 in a manner not necessary herein fully to describe, since not claimed in detail herein. The said take-up is provided with a bell crank lever 61 pivoted at 62 upon a portion of the framing and having a roll 63 bearing upon the fabric. by reason of the action of the coiled spring 64C.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention, l desire it to be understood that although speciiic terms are employed they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims:

1. A. knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to the knitting head, said knitting' head being movable into and out of driving relation with said driving means, and means positively to separate saidlknitting head from said driving means.

2. A knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to the knitting head, said knitting head being movable into and out of driving relation with said driving means, and means to push said knitting head out of driving relation to the driving means.

3. A. knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to the knitting head, said knitting head being movable into and out of driving relation with said driving means, latching means, and means co-acting with the latohing means to move the knitting head out of driving relation with the driving means.

4. A knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to the knitting head, said knitting head being movable into and out of driving relation with said driving means, latching means to hold the knitting head-in driving relation with the driving means, and means co-acting with the ylatching means to move the knitting head out of driving relation to the driving means through movement of the latching means.

5. A knitting head, vdriving means therefor exterior to the knitting head, ysaid knitting head being movable into and out of driving relation with said driving i'neans, and latching means adapted to hold the knitting head either in driving relation or in non-drivingrelation with respect to the driving means.

6. A knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to the knitting head, said knitting head being movable into and out of driving relation with said driving means, a latch 18, and a pushing member 25 carried by said latch for the purpose set forth.

7. A knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to the knitting head, said knitting head being movable into and out of driving relation with said driving means, a latch 18 having notches 16, 17 cooperating with the knitting head, a Spring 21 for said latch, and a push rod 25 carried by said latch.

8. i knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to the knitting head, said knitting head being pivoted to swing into and out of driving relation with said driving means, and positively acting separating means for the knitting head.

9. i knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to the knitting head, said knitting head being movable into and out of driving relation with said driving means, latching means, and positively acting separating means for said knitting head.

10. Knitting mechanism comprising in combination, a knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to said head, said head being mounted to be moved to and from said driving means so as to bring it either into driving position or into a position of rest, latch means and -cooperating means positively to separate' the parts.

11. Knitting mechanism comprising in combination, a knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to said head, said head being mounted for swinging movement toward and from said driving means, so that said head is driven or is in a position of rest, and means positively to separate head and driving` means.

12. Knitting mechanism comprising in combination, a knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to said head, said head being mounted for swinging movement toward and from said driving means, so that said head is driven or is in a position of rest, and pushing means to separate said parts.

13. Knitting` mechanism comprising in combination, a knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to said head, said head heing mounted to swing toward and from said driving means so as to bring it into driving position or into a position oi' rest, and means positively to separate said parts.

14. Knitting mechanism comprising in combination, a knitting head, driving means therefor eXte *ior to said head, said head being mounted to swing toward and froml the driving means to bring it into driving position or into a position of rest, and pushing means to separate said parts.

l5. A knitting head, driving means therefor exterior to the knitting head, said knit ting head being pivoted to swing into and out of driving relation with the driving means, latching means to hold the; knitting head in driving relation With the driving means, and means co-acting with the latching means to move the knitting head out oi driving relation to the. driving means When the latohing means is moved.

In testimony whereof, l. have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT E. BnRDo. 

